Property taxes far outpace inflation: The Rundown
Good afternoon! It’s Monday, and I’m excited a Trader Joe’s could soon open in my neighborhood. Here’s what you need to know today.
The county’s property tax levy has increased from $6.8 billion in 1995 to $19.2 billion in 2024, or twice the rate of inflation, according to a new report from Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas’ office. If it had remained on track with inflation, it would be closer to $10.1 billion.
As my colleagues Nicole Jeanine Johnson and Violet Miller report, predominantly Black neighborhoods on the South and West sides were hit hardest.
The Oakland neighborhood, just north of Kenwood, saw a 636.22% increase in property tax bills between 1995 and 2024, while East Garfield Park saw a 447.22% increase, per treasurer’s office data. The Lower West Side, West Garfield Park and North Lawndale all saw increases over 200%.
In the suburbs, the closest comparison was in unincorporated Riverside, which saw bills shoot up about 235% in that same time frame; the village of Phoenix saw an increase of 192.73%.
Pappas blames loopholes in the state Property Tax Extension Limitation Law, which was designed to limit tax increases to the rate of inflation or 5%, whichever is less. But “local officials took advantage of that law’s loopholes to enact tax increases that substantially exceeded that limit,” and 94 of the county’s 135 municipalities aren’t bound by the law, the report says. [WBEZ/Chicago Sun-Times]
The ads for an online survey targeting transgender youth and their parents seem innocuous at first, my colleague Violet Miller writes for the Chicago Sun-Times.
“Navigating gender dysphoria?” asks one of many ads that have cropped up on social media in recent months. “Tell your story, challenge preconceptions, and have YOUR experience reflected in the science.”
The ads are for a survey helmed by Northwestern University psychology professor J. Michael Bailey, who told the Sun-Times he aims to find out “how gender-dysphoric youth live their lives.”
Launched in 2024 with backing from Northwestern University and the nonprofit Gender Dysphoria Institute, Bailey and his co-researchers hope to estimate how many dysphoric youth end up transitioning and how family response impacts their transition.
But elected leaders across the country, including in Illinois, have introduced legislation attempting to strip access to health care for trans people. Some of those bills cite discredited scientific studies Bailey and his co-researchers have published over the years, and critics say his current study could continue to fuel efforts to push trans people to the margins. [Chicago Sun-Times]
3. The ‘No Kings’ rally brought thousands of people to Grant Park over the weekend
For the third time in less than a year, thousands of protesters across the Chicago area joined nationwide marches to make their voices heard regarding President Donald Trump and his policies.
An escalating conflict with Iran that has led to inflated gas prices and a lingering government shutdown that prompted Immigration and Customs Enforcement presence at various airports last week drew widespread criticism.
The protest in Chicago’s Grant Park kicked off Saturday afternoon with a powerful rendition of Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come” and an original song called “In This America” by local artist Melody Angel. She wrote the song in memory of Trayvon Martin, whose killing in 2012 galvanized the Black Lives Matter movement. She now dedicates the song to her niece and nephew.
By 1:30 p.m., thousands gathered at Butler Field in Grant Park. Attendees held “Abolish Ice” and “No Kings Since 1776” signs as songs like Public Enemy’s “Fight the Power” and Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” blared through the speakers. By 3 p.m., the crowd marched through the Loop holding large signs, including “ICE OUT,” before ending peacefully without any major incidents at 4:30 p.m. [Chicago Sun-Times/WBEZ]
Michele Clark High School has bet big on dual credit, at one point enrolling each sophomore in these classes generally geared toward juniors and seniors. That has put the campus at the forefront of a broader push quietly unfolding districtwide: Chicago Public Schools students took more than 13,000 dual credit classes last year, more than double the number pre-pandemic.
That massive growth in dual credit participation has won praise for sending students to college better prepared and helping them avoid crippling debt — a boon especially for low-income students of color like the ones Clark serves — with early data showing progress.
But the expansion hasn’t always gone smoothly. Schools like Clark have had to course-correct on signing up younger students en masse. And on some campuses, sharp increases in dual credit participation have not yet translated into gains in college enrollment and persistence, a Chalkbeat analysis showed. [Chalkbeat]
5. Chicago’s Jeff Awards face a growing backlash
A week after audible “boos” rained down in a ceremony honoring some of Chicago’s top storefront theater companies, the Joseph Jefferson Awards — known conversationally as “The Jeffs” and akin to the local Tonys — are under fire, WBEZ’s Mike Davis reports.
Several theaters said on social media and in interviews over the weekend that they are stepping away from “the Jeffs,” established in 1968 to reward excellence in Chicago’s vibrant theater scene.
The controversy erupted last week after the 52nd annual Non Equity Jeff Award ceremony after judges honored Invictus Theatre’s artistic director Charles Askenaizer, who is under investigation after recent allegations of abuse surfaced on social media from actors. Some storefront theater leaders have also reported sleeping judges during shows and questioned their cultural competency.
In a statement signed by members of the Jeff committee yesterday, the group pledged to review its current judging and voting practices and incorporate what it learns from outreach in the larger community. A new subcommittee tasked with the review will report findings by July 1. [WBEZ]
Here’s what else is happening
- Transportation Safety Administration employees could begin receiving their first paychecks in weeks as early as today. It’s unclear how long it will take airport security lines to return to normal. [AP]
- Protein seems to be everywhere these days. (Protein cold foam, anyone?) Here’s how nutrition experts recommend figuring out how much you actually need. [NPR]
- NASA is days away from sending people to the moon for the first time since 1972. [NPR]
- The Chicago Board of Education approved new CEO Macquline King’s contract with just one “no” vote. [WBEZ/Chicago Sun-Times]
Oh, and one more thing …
Magic Johnson’s size 14 wingtips. Former Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s size 8 brogues. Perennial mayoral candidate and gas-giveway millionaire Willie Wilson’s size 11s.
For 20 years, Steve Fullerton has polished and buffed the footwear of famous Chicagoans and faithful regulars from his bench in the Cook County Building, my colleague Stefano Esposito reports for the Chicago Sun-Times.
You can tell a lot about a person by how they treat their shoes, Fullerton said.
“If you don’t care for your shoes, what other parts of your life aren’t you taking care of?” he explained. “You only live once. God gave you two feet. Be good to them. They take you all over. They walk for you. They help you dance.” [Chicago Sun-Times]
Tell me something good …
I started spring cleaning over the weekend, which my cats will likely make irrelevant within days. (How does their litter get past my closed closet door?) That has me wondering, do you have any springtime traditions to help reset after a long winter?
Feel free to email me, and your response may be included in the newsletter this week.
Discussion in the ATmosphere